Whether The Crypto Market Is Efficient? Evidence From Testing The Validity Of The Efficient Market Hypothesis

This study examines the validity of the efficient market hypothesis for the cryptocurrency market. We have used the Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic approach to examine the presence of different calendar anomalies i.e., the Halloween effect, day-of-the-week (DOW) effect, and month-of-the-year effect in the case of Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Tether, and USD Coin. The findings show that there is no strong evidence of the Halloween effect. We find only robust Thursday and Saturday effects in the mean equation. In the case of the month-of-the-year effect, there is only a reverse January effect. More specifically, we note that April and February are statistically significant in the case of Bitcoin and Ethereum, respectively. Results obtained from the variance equations imply that September and October are the least risky months for investors

Capital Expenditure Dynamics in ASEAN: Unveiling Determinants and The Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Non-Financial Corporations

This study investigates the intricate determinants influencing the capital expenditure behavior of Non-Financial Corporations (NFCs) in major ASEAN countries over the past decade. Employing a fixed effect panel analysis encompassing 1,488 NFCs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, our study unveils a robust and statistically significant relationship between corporate financial performance and capital expenditure. Notably, indicators such as profitability, market value, and cash flow rate demonstrate a positive association with heightened capital expenditure. Furthermore, macroeconomic conditions and policy-related variables emerge as influential factors affecting capital expenditure decisions. Stringent financial conditions tend to hamper firm investment decisions, whilst interest rate tends to exhibit limited efficacy in eliciting the anticipated impact on NFCs capex level. We also report that during the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our earlier findings remain consistent

The Impact of Fiscal Science and Technology Expenditure on Digital Economy: A New Path to Economic Recovery in The Post-Pandemic Era

In this study, a multi-dimensional digital economy evaluation index system is constructed to explore the impact of fiscal Science and Technology (S&T) expenditure on digital economy development in China. We reveal the following findings. First, we note that the China’s digital economy level as a whole is rising each year, which is less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, we document that S&T expenditures positively stimulate digital economy development. Finally, we find that the promotion effect of S&T expenditure on the digital economy is statistically significant, and this promotion effect decreases from the southwest to the northeast due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Does Infrastructure Investment Remain an Effective Expansionary Tool? Based On the Green Economy Growth Perspective

In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, boosting the economy through infrastructure investment has emerged as an imperative tool. Apart from coping with the downward pressure on the economy caused by the pandemic, governments are concerned about green economic growth. Using data for 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China, we examine the impact of infrastructure investment on green economic growth. Our findings are as follows. Infrastructure investment significantly inhibits green economic growth; we discover this outcome to be robust. The impact of infrastructure investment on green economic growth differs for different regions. The negative effect of infrastructure investment on green economic growth is substantial in the central-western region, but it is found to be statistically insignificant in the eastern region

Did COVID-19 Disrupt the Stock Market Return and Volatility? A Meta-Analytic Approach

We provide a quantitative synthesis of the literature utilizing meta-regression analysis on the measurable effect of the combined health and economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic on stock market returns and volatility. This study is conducted based on 104 studies published during the period 2020 to 2022. We find strong evidence of a negative publication bias for COVID-19 impacts on stock market returns and a positive bias on volatility. We document that COVID-19 has a moderate negative effect on stock market returns. Estimates based on intraday stock returns show a greater effect compared to those using daily returns, whereas estimates using weekly returns exhibit the opposite trend . The market reacts more negatively to the COVID-19related news than the number of COVID-19 cases/deaths. Overall, this study confirms the disruptive effect of COVID-19 pandemic on stock market performance

Impact of Geopolitical Risk and Crude Oil Prices on Stock Return

This study examines the impact of oil prices and geopolitical risks (GPR) on sectoral stock returns in Australia, Japan, USA, and India. Using data from September 13, 2017 to May 30, 2023 and Westerlund and Narayan\u27s method, the study finds oil prices positively affect pharma and commodity stocks, while GPR benefits commodity stocks, excluding banking in Australia. Further, GPR negatively impacts only banking stocks due to increased uncertainty and risk aversion in USA. Similarly, GPR adversely affects banking stocks in India that leads capital outflows and economic instability, while oil prices positively influence pharma and commodity stocks. Policymakers are advised to stabilize the banking sectors to mitigate the impact of GPR, and investors need to take GPR into account while making investment decisions in banking sector

Does Inflation Targeting Anchor Inflation Expectations in India? Evidences from Surveys of Household and Professional Forecasters

This study examines whether inflation targeting (IT) anchors household and professional forecasters expectations in India. It investigates whether food and non-food inflation affect anchoring inflation expectations differently. Primarily, the results indicate significant decreases in the level and variability of expectations. Further, it provides evidence of successful anchoring for professional forecasters\u27 and household expectations. However, it also found food inflation assist anchoring of expectations, while the non-food inflation doesn\u27t. The results suggest the central bank to emphasize more on non-food inflation for better anchoring prospects. Additionally, the study identifies food inflation as the primary contributor to headline inflation variability

The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Carbon Emissions: Empirical Evidence From China

In this study, we investigate the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on China’s carbon emissions. We use data for a panel of 30 Chinese provinces over the period January 2020 to December 2020. The results indicate that carbon emissions in China decreased considerably during the COVID-19 outbreak. This finding remains robust when we use different proxies for core variables. The pandemic had a more pronounced impact on carbon emissionsin regions with a surplus of carbon emission allowances, and the negative effects of the pandemic on carbon emissions were greater in the first half of 2020 compared to the second half. Reduced carbon emissions are just a temporary and short-term benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative impact of COVID-19 on China’s carbon emissions is unsustainable in the long-run. This study provides valuable recommendations for China and other countries to achieve green economic recovery and climate goals in the post-pandemic er

Digitalization and Economies of OIC Countries

This paper studies the impact of digitalization on the Organization of Islamic countries (OIC) economies. The study is conducted to see whether digitalization is playing its role in enhancing economic growth. We employ a panel dataset consisting of twenty-one years from 2000 to 2020 for 57 OIC countries. We use the system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The results indicate that digitalization positively impacts the economies of OIC countries. As for policy implication, this study recommends governments of OIC member countries to invest in digital infrastructure in order to foster economic growth